The Word He's Waiting For
by buckyball715
Summary: James has asked, no, begged Lily to go out with him for six years. When will she say yes? Well, sometimes getting stuck behind a portrait hole is all you really need, especially with the lack of oxygen. R&R! :]


**Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns all! We own nothing! …Well, this is despressing...**

"Jame..I mean Potter! What in Merlin's name are you doing here?" Lily screamed with a frown at the messy black haired boy lounging on the Head Common Room sofa, though she couldn't help but smile inwardly…a smile she quickly suppressed of course.

"Well, I…wait, did you just almost call me _James_?" James's face lit up at the prospect.

"Of course not, _Potter_!" Lilly snapped, but not before her cheeks became a violent shade of red that clashed horribly with her dark red hair. "And don't try to change the subject. Answer the sodding question!"

"Er…well…to be with you, of course," James replied, grinning a dazzling smile that (although she would _never_ admit to it) made Lily weak in the knees.

"_Sure._" Lily raised an eyebrow and turned to walk away quickly, mainly to hide the smile crawling up her face.

_Stop smiling! So what if he stayed for you! _

…_Right, of course… _

**_Begin flashback_ **

"Hey Prongs! It's your lucky day man. I heard Lily telling Alice that she's staying for the holidays. Her parents are visiting some petunias or something in London, and she doesn't wanna go," Sirius said as he sat down next to James.

James sat up straight, his hazel eyes lighting up. "Are you serious?" As soon as the words were voiced out of his mouth, he inwardly groaned, knowing only too well what was coming next.

"Well yeah, I suppose I am," Sirius said with a mischievous smile, which was soon wiped off his face when a spoonful of pudding landed on his nose.

As Sirius attempted to glare menacingly at James through the pudding, James murmured dreamily, "This is my chance to get her alone and woo her and make her fall in unconditional love with me…"

Following that incident, James made plans to stay at Hogwarts, and naturally, he forced Sirius to do the same. At the same time, Sirius began his own set of plans…

**_End flashback_ **

After Lily got over the initial shock of finding out that James was also staying for the holidays and had reluctantly accepted that it was far too late to write to her parents and ask…no _beg _to be taken to London with them, the rest of the holidays continued in its usual manner. That is, if you consider the following "normal"…

1. Being found under mistletoe with a certain James-bloody-Potter _many_ times

2. Going to the Great Hall for meals only to find that the only seat left is next to James and then having to chat pleasantly with him (the professors were sitting too close for their usual shouting matches or any hexes)

3. Being ambushed constantly with owls carrying lilies, chocolates, presents (which _always_ found their way into the fireplace), and other such objects

4. And returning to the Head quarters only to find James stepping seductively out of the bathroom without a shirt on every-bloody-day…as if he had _planned_ it (not that she liked it of course…her heart always beat quickly when she was repulsed)

Yes, indeed, her life carried on normally until one day, she received a note. Lily immediately recognized the thin, slanted writing to be Dumbledore's, though the letters did seem a little wobbly. She simply attributed this however to too much eggnog.

_Miss Evans,_

_Due to the fact that many students have chosen to stay at Hogwarts this year, we will be having a New Year's Eve celebration tonight. As Head Girl, it will be your duty along with the Head Boy to decorate the Great Hall for the aforementioned party. The decorations are located behind the portrait of Nuttleby the Nut on the third floor. _

_Yours sincerely,_

_Albus Dumbledore_

_P.S. Nuttleby particularly enjoys roasted hazelnuts._

The corners of Lily's mouth twitched upwards, just slightly, as she registered the fact that she would now have an excuse to spend time with James…though she convinced herself that she was simply happy that there would be New Year's Eve celebrations this year.

She climbed into the head common room to find James, once again, strolling out of the bathroom door, naked save a towel wrapped loosely around his waist. Averting her wandering eyes and forcibly pulling her mouth into a frown, she yelled, "Merlin! How many times do I have to bloody tell you! Put some clothes on before you walk out of the bathroom!"

"What? You don't like it?"

"Of course not!"

"Bugger. Stupid Padfoot. I knew seduction wouldn't work, though I am rather good at it," James muttered under his breath.

"What did you just say, Potter?"

"Oh, nothing," James said with a grin that once again weakened Lily's knees.

With a sigh, Lily walked over and handed James the note.

"Bloody brilliant!" James exclaimed after reading the note, realizing that he would soon be spending the afternoon with Lily, and she would _willingly_ be in his company as well. But seeing Lily's expression, he quickly said, "Er, I mean, it'll be fun, won't it, Lily? We better get going…"

"Not dressed like that, Potter" answered a flustered Lily, who found that she was having a hard time keeping herself composed at the half-naked sight before her.

"Right," James grinned sheepishly and headed to his dormitory to dress.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The walk to the portrait of Nuttleby the Nut was filled with an uncomfortable silence, and Lily was only too happy to reach the destination. (During the stroll, Lily had noticed the intensity of James's hazel eyes and his particularly high cheekbones…not that she cared of course…)

"Roasted hazelnuts" Lily said, and the portrait swung open, with Nuttleby eying the pair suspiciously.

"Snog session, you two?" the portrait asked, most impolitely. Lily's face immediately turned a deep shade of red whilst she attempted to glare angrily at Nuttleby. James merely smiled at the thought.

"Most certainly not!" Lily replied huffily. "We're the Head Girl and Boy!" she exclaimed, thrusting her chest forward to display the shiny badge pinned to her cloak.

"Heads these days! They just get worse and worse." Nuttleby grunted, shaking his head, and the portrait swung open before Lily could manage an angry retort.

"Well, ladies first." James said, indicating the open portrait hole.

"Thank you." Lily muttered with a raised eyebrow, causing James to beam happily. Noting that the boy had certainly matured, just a bit, since third year, Lily stepped carefully through the hole with James behind her.

"_Lumos_" she whispered, as if speaking at regular volume would somehow disturb the darkness.

"Er, do you suppose the decorations are invisible or something?" James asked, because the light from Lily's wand had illuminated…well, nothing except the walls of a small room.

"Right, of course…and you're an animagus." Lily replied tartly.

James jumped at the suggestion before realizing that she was being sarcastic. He simply chuckled, unsure of how to reply.

"Well, I suppose we've just got to go tell Dumbledore that he somehow told us the wrong portrait." Lily suggested logically. She turned to exit the portrait hole, and just as she was about to step out, the portrait swung closed suddenly, squishing her nose in the process.

"Owww…" Lily moaned.

James, recognizing the opportunity to play the knight in shining armor, caught Lily before she fell to the floor in agony and gently helped her stand back up.

"You alright, Lily?" James inquired with concern.

"Yes," she grunted through clenched teeth, clutching her nose in pain.

"You sure?" James asked, as her emerald eyes were now brimming with tears.

Shaking her head, Lily whimpered, "By dose, it nurts" in a muffled voice.

"Dose?" James repeated, creasing his forehead. "Your nose is broken?" he guessed, and Lily nodded frantically. James immediately whipped his wand out, and murmured, "E_piskey_," pointing it at her nose.

"Thank you," Lily said with a grateful sigh, and James grinned happily.

_She's thanked me twice in one day! Go Prongs! You're the man!_ He thought in an elated manner.

"Er, well, I suppose we should get out of here now," James said casually.

"Right," Lily agreed, and attempted to push the portrait open. However, it would not budge in the slightest, and she stepped back with her hands on her hips.

"What? Can't open it? Let me do it," James said.

"Knock yourself out," Lily muttered, stepping aside for him.

"Don't worry, I won't," he answered, wiggling his eyebrows, and moving towards the portrait. He rolled up his sleeves, put his hands against the portrait, and pushed. Nothing happened. He frowned, turned so that one arm was leaning on the portrait, and pushed. Nothing happened. He stepped backwards several feet, stopped, and ran headfirst towards the portrait. Nothing happened. Well, James was now sporting a brilliant bump on his head, and Lily snorted at his stupidity, but otherwise nothing happened. After healing the injury with his wand, James and Lily each attempted various spells to break down, blast a hole through, unlock, unhinge, and disintegrate the portrait. Nothing worked. At last James resorted to banging on the portrait and screaming at the top of his lungs for help.

Meanwhile, Lily had sunk to the floor, leaning against the wall, and proceeded to shoot random spells at the portrait in wild hopes of freedom.

"_Scourgify_"

"Fat lot of use that is," James yelled amidst his cries for help, but Lily merely shrugged and continued.

"_Riddikulus_," she mumbled, waving her wand thoughtlessly and admiring James's muscular arms as he continued his futile attempts to knock down the portrait.

"What? Me?" James turned, as he was all too used to being insulted by the red-head.

"The spell, not you," Lily muttered, rolling her eyes.

James smiled. _Lily doesn't think I'm ridiculous! She doesn't hate me!_

"So, any ideas on getting us out?" she asked him, conjuring a goblet of pumpkin juice out of thin air, as she as thirsty.

"Not a one. I think you're stuck with me forever!" James declared with an attempted frown that did little to hide his sparkling eyes. _Yes! Now she really will be spending the last of her days with me just like in my dreams…not that she's exactly doing it willing…but hey, who cares about technicalities right? _

"You can't be serious!" Lily gasped.

"Sirius!" he exclaimed. Lily, who'd thought he said he was "serious", sputtered and choked on the pumpkin juice she was sipping. She continued choking until James, who had been busy rummaging in his cloak for something, stopped to help her. Lily then proceeded to clean up her pumpkin juice, and James retrieved a mirror from one of his pockets.

"Padfoot! Padfoot!" he whispered, and Sirius's smiling face appeared before him.

"Prongs! How's it going man?" Sirius said with a hint of amusement.

"Potter? Is that a mirror? Merlin, you're vain. Are you talking to your reflection?" Lily asked, peering suspiciously at him.

"I am not vain! This is a special mirror, alright?" James grumbled. "Listen, Lily and I are stuck-wait…You did this didn't you!" he hissed at the mirror, noting the mischievous glint in Sirius's eye.

"What?" Sirius asked, his face the picture of innocence.

"You did this! You-"

"I did what? Let me see that thing." Lily asked in confusion, assuming that James had been yelling at her. Walking over, she pulled the mirror from his hands and gazed at it curiously.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" Lily shrieked loudly, letting the mirror fall from her hands, and it would have shattered on the floor, were it not for James's quick reflexes (which of course, Lily noticed without delay).

"What?" James inquired with a puzzled expression.

"Do not," Lily sobbed, "tell me that I look like that!" This caused James to chuckle, and a very insulted Sirius to bellow "Excuse me!" from within the mirror.

"Lily, that's Sirius. Don't worry, you're still the beautiful you." James assured her. She brightened at this remark, and chanced another look in the mirror.

"Black? What're you doing there?"

"Why, because Jamesie called me, my dear lady. I have a mirror that connects to his," Sirius explained.

"She's _my_ dear lady," James muttered darkly.

"I am _not_!" Lily huffed.

"Not _yet_," he corrected. She made a "humph" and turned away with crossed arms, as something inside her did not want to object. Something deep, deep, deep down inside of course.

"Hah! Look at the two of you, arguing like an old married couple! Good luck making her yours, Prongsie-mate. Tata for now!" Sirius chirped merrily, and disappeared from the mirror.

**Author's Note: This is our first story. Reviews would be much appreciated! So please just take one minute of your time and make our day. Thanks!**


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